Flush wall switch



M. GUET? FLUSH WALL swiTcH Nov. 29, 1927..y 1,650,871

Filed April 18. 1924 V u W* m INVENTOR rBY j j t ATrRNEY me 4"5mn-:sf PATENT OFFICE MONROE GUETT, OF HRTFORD, OONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR'TO THE HART & HEGEMAN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION' OF CONNECTICUT.

FLUSH WALL SWITCH.

Application led April 18, 1924. Serial No. 707,361.

"This invention relates to flush wallswitches `for electrical circuits, and is of special utility when embodied in so-called toggle or tumbler wall-switches for control of indoor lighting circuits.

It is desirable that all such switches','in a given installation, shall be set to operate in the same sense, so that when any of the operating handles is turned downwardv the circuit controlled by itwill be interrupted, and its lamp or lamps extinguished, and when any .of the handles is turned upward, the circuit will be completed to 4light the lamps, or vice versa, that the face-plates of such 4switches bear an indication above and below the handle, of the circuit condition, that is, a marking consisting of the words Gti and On or the equivalent.

t is a common occurrence, however, for

the workmen to set some of the switches in reverse position, a condition that is not properly disclosed by the face-plate and, until the electric current from the street main is turned on,` such errors can on-ly be detected by removal of the face-plates and an examinationof the operating parts of the switches, which is dicult to accomplish and involves an expensive as well as delay. l

The object of the present invention is to provide a Bush wall-switch having a facelplate withsuitable visual indications of circuit conditions, and so constructed .that -it can only be attached in one sense upon the switch, with the result that if the switch itself has been set in the wrong sense, a reliable indication of that fact will be displayed to the workman before he completes the installation.

. f, in the drawings, 1 is a front elevation wall-switch in the construc`v tion ofwhich this invention has been emot `an electrical bodied; andfFig. 2-is a longitudinal section ot the same in place, with -parts shown in elevation, and parts broken away to reveal innerstructure; Fig. 3 is a side elevation, on a smaller scale, of a modification; and Fig. 4 is a front elevation thereof. -v f ln the embodiment of this invention. se?- lected for illustration,

the partdesignated by the reference character 1 is an electrical 'rontlet-box or flush receptacle, set in the wall 2 of a building, containing a switch-block or porcelain receptacle 3 enclosing the and it is also desirable duplication of labor,'

switch mechanism. The latter may be of any desired type and that shown in Fig. 2 comprises contact terminals 4 and 5 and binding screws 6 and 7, to which the circuit wires (not shown) are connected in the usual way.

The switch blade 8, mounted to rock on axis 9, is actuated by a tumbler or toggle f handle 10 which a spring 22 to snap the blade from the position shown, in which the current is oil", to a position in which the blade contacts with, and connects, the terminals 4 and 5, and turns the current on.

Such action is conventionlfand need not be described further,except to say that the works in conjunction with handle l10 is moved upward, in the instance illustrated, to close `the circuit, and down to open it, and preferably all the similar wallswitches in the installation are set to operate in the same sense, and the face-plates of such switches are desirably marked with On and Off legends, so that the condi` Ctionoithe circuit can be seen, even if there is no current.

1n accordance with this invention, means are provided to prevent impro er assemblage of the switch structure and its faceplate so that the indication aiorded by the latter will always accurately agree with the conditiornofv the switch, thus giving a reliable indication on each switch of the condition of its circuit for each position' of the handle 10, and any suitable means may be provided to accomplish this object.v

As one convenient structure, a face-plate 11 is provided, having a central aperture 12- to accommodate the handle 10, this Jfaceplate being furnished with such indicia as the words Unl and OE, in prom'mity to the handle 10, .to indicate the condition of the circuit when the handle points toward On or Oi, as the'case may be.

This face-plate is fastened to the switchstructure by suitable means, herein shown as screws 13 and 14 passing through holes 15 and 16 in the face-plateand screwed Into threaded holes 17 and 18 in the metal mount or frame 19 by which the receptacle is mounted .on the outlet' box 1. In this position the central apjerture 12 of .the face` plate iits over the oss' or collar 21 at the base ofthe handle.

The mount or Vframe 19 is shown as secured in place upon the box 1 as usual by screws accordance with this invention,

20, and supports the porcelain receptacle-3, and in general may be of conventional structure, as may also be the face-plate 11, but in the holes 15 and 16 in the face-plate are placed at different distances from the center of the faceplate aperture 12, so that the distance marked A-on Fig. 1 is greater than the distance B and the holes 17 and 18 in the member 19 are at correspondingly different distances from the pivoted axis of the handle, and the face-plate 11 can only be connected to the mount 19 by the fastening-screws 13 and 14 when the holes 15 and 16 register with the holes 17 and 18, which only occurs when the plate 11 is assembled with the mount 19 as illustrated,-and ngtin reverse relation.

Accordingly,

it furnishes a reliable indication that the switch blade 8 occupies the illustrated position, with the circuit broken, and when the handle 10 points toward the word On the indication thus furnished that the circuit is completed can be relied on as accurate.

` Any attempt by the workmen to attach the face-plate with the Off mark on the lower side of theplate, when the switch has not been set so that the handle points down when 'looking into the outlet the current is off, will be frustrate-d because the screw holes will not register and the plate cannot therefore be fixed to the mount. The Workman will be obliged, in such case, to mount the plate in an inverted condition, in which case the plate indications will accurately agree with the switch condition. But if it is desired that all of the switches in a given installation shall vbe setaso that each andle'points down when oli', then the fact that this particular switch is not so set becomes at once apparent to the workmen, or if not to him, to the inspector, and even before the circuit has been connected' to the supplymains. The inverted condition can of course be detected at a glance and without box, which has heretofore been necessarya'nd at the cost of conj'siderable time on the part of the inspector,

and the switch frame and as the unless the current has been temporarily turned onto the building. Obviously the location of the screw holes in the relation stated involves no special structure of facci plate and the latter can be stamped up from sheet metal with bent margins that simulate the bevelled edges of a heavier type of plate, without increased expense of manufacture and for this reason the use of the ldescribed screw holes constitutes the preferred form of the invention. i

It is so preferred also for the reason that such fastening screws constitute positioning means directly intermediate the face-plate switch frame is the most accurately adjusted membei` of the wall-switch, such a directly interwhen the handle 10 points to- I Y ward the word Off the distance marked A mediate form of means to prevent improper assemblage. of the switch structure and its face-plateis most desirable.

My improvement is also applicable to forms of iush wall-switch other than the tumbler type, and Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate a modification in which my invention is applied to a wall switch of the push-button type, comprisino' a flush receptacle 1, containing a switci 3, both similar to those above described, and a face-plate 23 secured to the switch by fastening screws 13 and 14 which pass through holes 15 and 16 in the face-plate and are screwed into threaded holes formed at 17 and 18 in a switch member 19 like that shownin detail in Fig. 2.

The switch is operated in the usual manner by a pair of push-buttons 24 and 25 4which tively distances the switch, but

fastening screws 1 3 and 14 are placed at the center, so that on Fig. 4 is greater different distances from than the distance B.

The face-plate 23 can'thus be connected to the receptacle 1 and its switch 3 only when the holes 15 and 16 in the face-plate register respectively with the corresponding screw holes 17 and 18, these holes 17 and 18 being formed at similarly unequal distances from the switch center, as hereinbefore described in a more detailed mannerwith respect to the holes bearing the same reference characters in the structure shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The push-button 24 operates the switch to turn the current on, in the instance illustrated, and the push-button 25 operates to turn it off, and this arrangement is indicated preferably by the words On and O with which the face-plate is provided, these words. being preferably situated as shown, with the word On between the screw 13 and the button 24, while the word .Off is placed below the button 25, to offset the asymmetrical position of the screws 13 and 14. c

It is desirable that all the wall-switches in the installation be set in the same sense,

ass through holes 26 and 27 respec for the reasons already detailed, and if any Y wall-switch constructed as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 be set in the reverse sense, the words .On and Off will indicate the misplaceand conversely, if the workman lits the plate to the ypush-buttons, and then attempts to tit the screws 13 and 14 through the holes 15 and 16 into the holes 17 and 18, he can-` not Vdo so, as the holes l15 and 16 will not register with the holes 17 and 18.

Accordingly, he will be thus notilied that he has set the switch 3 in the wrong sense,'

and if he leaves the face-plate oli, or `fattaches it upside down, the improper setting of the switch will be evident to an inspector, even before the current is turned on.

I-Iaving illustrated and .described my invention thus fully, and suitable means by which the saine maybe carried into eiect, I wish it to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specilic materials and structure selected for illustration and description.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

ranged With reference to the plate, and movl able to tangibly diierent' positions of rest to operate the switch, and means unsymmetrically located with reference to said operating means for securing the tace-plate to the switch mechanism.

2. The combination with an outlet box, of a wall-switch having an actuating tumblerhandle, a face-plate having an aperture sur rounding said. tumbler-handle and within which it can be rocked, and a pair of screws transtixing said face-plate and screwed into said switch, at unequal distances from said aperture, to tasten said face-plate to said switch invariably in the same relation, said tace-plate displaying the word KOn7 in position to correspond to said tumbler handle when rocked to close the circuit, and displaying the word Oil in position to be similarly indicated by said tumbler handle when rocked to open the circuit.

In testimonyl whereof, I have signed this specification.

MONROE GUETT. i 

